A Game and A Riddle: The Rewrite
by AnnanInTheSky
Summary: He forced her into the game. Into the game she never wanted to play, into the game that took everything from her. Her only consolation, her only reward, was the knowledge that despite the fact that he made the rules, nobody won. No Mary-Sue.


**Disclaimer**: (Seriously why do we do these. It's a fanfiction website, for crying out loud.) Voldemort, Dumbledore, Hogwarts and the headmaster aren't mine. Neither is the hogwarts express. But the rest of this thing? MINE.

A rewrite of my most popular story, to get me back into the swing of writing. Please don't be scared off by the warning; this is not just a dark-fest, neither is it a dark character story. There is plot.

**Warnings:** contains **mentions of rape**, **suicide**, **mentions of murder**. Yes, it's a dark one - however nothing is graphic. There is also **no lemon**, which I know disappointed a few people in the original but I do not think it has a place in this kind of story.

**Other stuff:** I am writing this _while I'm posting_. This typically ends badly for me, and the going may be slow, but if you are feeling the suspense feel free to go and check out the original on my profile.

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><p>Chapter One: A Riddle<p>

"Long time no see, Jane." Elizabeth smiled at me as I walked into our compartment. Her blonde hair was braided down her back, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling. Her brother had died in the war last year, but it seemed that she'd finally recovered and was finally over her long period of mourning.

"Yeah. Sorry for not owling you over the holidays – Aunt Samantha's house was attacked." I sighed, putting my trunk away. It had been a shock to us all, a completely random raid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Elizabeth gasped in sympathy, knowing how much I liked my extended family "Oh, Jane! I had no idea! Is everyone okay?"

I shook my head, ruthlessly crushing the urge to sniffle. "The little ones were all killed – Aunt and Uncle were over at our house when it happened, and the kids were being cared for by a muggle governess." I supplied dully.

"Oh, Jane!" Elizabeth sighed, steering me into the seat across from her. "You and me, we're going to put Grindelwald in his place."

I snorted, looking out at the passing countryside. Out here in the middle of nowhere, it almost felt as if the world wasn't in turmoil. As if there weren't wars raging in both the muggle and the wizarding world. "Yeah, sure."

"No, I'm not kidding. Guerrilla warfare. I'll get an underground spy network and we'll-"

"Elizabeth!" I cut her off quickly, knowing the kind of enthusiastic rant that she was beginning. If she started now, it'd be all I'd hear about for the rest of the train ride. "We're lucky enough to not be home-educated, we shouldn't push our luck."

"Oh, you're so tame Jane." She teased.

"I think I'll stay that way, Elizabeth. Better tame than dead." I said grimly.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm not going to become a slave to Grindelwald if he takes over England."

I stayed silent, the death of my cousins still fresh in my mind as I retied my curly brown hair in a bun.

The door to our compartment opened suddenly and Elizabeth scowled. "What do you want, Riddle?" Our history with him was less than friendly. Riddle typically bullied the young, the stupid, and anyone he thought he could manipulate, including several of the people I tutored. While he had never directly annoyed us, save for generally insulting our house, both Elizabeth and I hated him on principle.

"Hello, my little Ravenclaws." Riddle smiled, immediately putting us both on full alert. "So, I heard your cousins were killed in the war, Adler."

I bristled, attempting to glare a hole through his head. "Here to rub it in, Riddle?"

"Not exactly." Riddle smiled wider. "Why don't you step outside with me?" He asked very politely.

Too politely.

Elizabeth drew her wand. "Don't do it, Jane."

"Shut it, Johnson." Riddle snapped, an instant mood swing. It did little to help our suspicions. "I'm not going to curse her."

"I wouldn't put it past you." Elizabeth spat. "But there's no need to-"

"No, I want to hear what he has to say." I told Elizabeth gently, my curiosity taking hold.

Elizabeth looked at me incredulously. "Fine. I'll be watching from the window though – don't try anything funny, Riddle."

Riddle smirked in response and led the way as I walked out and down the carriage to a space in front of an empty compartment. "What's this about, Riddle?" I asked, intending for it to come out as a demand. In reality it was more of a query.

"I have your sister." He responded with a deranged kind of cheerfulness, the same cheerfulness he developed when he had someone exactly where he wanted them.

"I'm sorry?" I spluttered, wondering if this was some kind of metaphor.

"Your sister – Natasha; I have her." He repeated.

"You're mental, Riddle. She's at her fiancée's house, in preparation for her wedding." I cast off his statement with a laugh – Natasha had turned seventeen this year, and as was fitting for all pure-blood women she was marrying. Her wedding had been delayed because of the attack, but she was still coming to school once the wedding was over – just because she wasn't on the train didn't mean that Riddle could convince me she was kidnapped. The first-years called him mad and I was beginning to wonder if they were right.

He handed me a picture, taken in a dark room. I squinted at it, trying to work out what exactly he was showing me and hoping to Merlin that he wasn't being cursed into showing me a picture of his privates.

"Oh my God..." I whispered as I realised what I was seeing.

It was a picture of a cell. A slim, dark-haired woman, features mostly obscured by the dark but still recognisably my sister, was lying against the wall with chains around her wrists. I stared at it numbly.

Riddle took the photograph back as he saw recognition dawn on my features, snatching it out of my fingers. "You see?"

"Why?" I frowned, looking up at him.

"I require your services, Adler." He smirked, dark green eyes giving away nothing about his thoughts.

"No way. Not a chance in hell – I'll tell Dippet." I threatened. 'Services' could mean anything, and even if they weren't illegal they'd probably be immoral knowing Riddle.

"If you tell Dippet, she'll be dead within an hour. The room is charmed – if I trigger it she'll be crushed to death." He told me seriously, with a slight sing-song quality to his voice. He was enjoying this.

I swallowed. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"The professors are already aware – Professor Elliot will probably speak to you in private before the feast. They'll probably say that she was abducted by Grindelwald."

"Is Thomas okay?"

He raised an eyebrow. "The fiancée? Yes, he's fine. In St Mungos, but he'll recover. Unfortunately, his parents were out at the time."

I scowled at him. "What do you want? In exchange for her safety?"

"Oh, I'll think of something. But for now, I want you to wear this bracelet." He held out an ornate silver bangle, and I took it hesitantly.

"What does it do?" I asked cautiously.

"It'll let you know when I want to meet you, and the engraving on the inside will tell you where." He told me. I searched for even the smallest sign that he was lying, before deciding that I really didn't have a lot of options in this situation.

"O-okay." I put it on slowly, hoping he was telling the truth. I relaxed after a few moments, as no hex had been triggered.

He fixed his robes. "Now, Adler, remember; tell anybody, anybody at all, and Natasha dies."

I watched him walk back to his compartment in shock before I returned to Elizabeth.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "What did he do?"

"He just wanted to annoy me. It's nothing."

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><p>I spent the rest of the train ride there silently praying that Riddle had lied. When I got off the train, he was proved correct, Professor Elliot waiting beside a teacher's carriage for me.<p>

"Who's that?" A first year asked, pointing to Elliot's short form.

"Head of Ravenclaw." Elizabeth informed the child, frowning. "I wonder what he wants?"

"Miss Adler! Jane Adler!" Professor Elliot called, waving me over.

My heart sank as I trotted through the drizzle. "Yes, sir?"

"I have some grave news – please, ride with me."

I swallowed, and climbed into the carriage quietly while Elliot levitated my trunk onto the trunk rack.

"Now, Miss Adler," He began as he climbed into the comfortable carriage and shut the door to the cold, "I'm afraid that we received a letter from your parents only a few hours ago. Your sister, Natasha, is missing and believed to be kidnapped by Dark Lord Grindelwald."

I fingered the bangle. "Oh, Merlin..." I whispered. My shock was not entirely faked – I had almost convinced myself that Riddle was lying.

"I can see that you're in shock, so I'm going to excuse you from the feast." Elliot told me kindly, his grey hair falling over his eyes as he looked at me earnestly.

"Thank you." I murmured.

Elliot nodded as the carriage jerked to a halt, having taken us to the steps of the castle. "Go and have a rest in the dormitory – the house elves will send up dinner and you'll be filled in on any important announcements."

I walked into Hogwarts and to the dorms in a numb sort of way, bumping into a new professor on the way in. He had red hair and bright orange robes, but he seemed nice enough and gave me a kind look on his way past.

Rowena Ravenclaw gazed upon me curiously from her portrait. "What walks around all day on its head?"

I took a deep breath. Riddles? At a time like this? Did the whole world want to remind me of what I was doing?

"A nail in a horse shoe." I responded after a moment.

"You may pass." She opened and I ran into the dorm, heading to my bed when I felt the bangle vibrate a little and burn hot for a moment, stinging my wrist.

_Unused Dungeon below the Astronomy Tower, after the feast._

I sighed, changing into my regular clothes before waiting for the telltale sound of a stampede of students coming back from the feast and slipping down to the dungeon below the astronomy tower.

"Good evening, Adler." Riddle smirked from the doorway.

"What do you want, Riddle?" I snapped.

He raised on arched eyebrow. "Manners, Adler. Else poor Natasha might just have an accident."

A stab of fear shot through my heart.

"Okay, okay. Fine. What did you call me here for?" I backtracked quickly.

"I want you to make me Baselisium Potion."

I frowned. "Baselisium? What do you need protection from a Basilisk stare for? The Basilisk attacks stopped last year, you know-"

"I did not tell you that you could ask questions." He responded with an annoyed look.

I scowled at him. "Fine."

"Oh, and have some for yourself once you're done brewing." He moved to leave.

"You don't mean brew it right now, do you?" I asked, dismayed. "It takes six hours to brew even without preparation – I won't have any time to sleep-"

"Not my problem, Adler. But I want the potion by tomorrow. There is a wealth of ingredients here, as well a book with the recipe." With that, he left.

I waited a moment, trying to think of a way around it, before pushing my sleeves up and pulling out the ingredients for the Baselisium and then grabbing the ones for a pepper-up potion as well. If he was going to make me lose sleep for his potions, I was going to use his potions ingredients to keep myself awake.

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><p>Review, please - I do read all my reviews and take it on board. Constructive criticism is more than welcome - especially if you've come from reading the original, I'd love to hear how you take the changes.<p> 


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